Vanity case



Sept. 10, 1935. w. E. SHERBONDY VANITY CASE Filed March 1, 1952 2Sheets-Sheet 1 W TWJ Sept. 10, 1935. w. E. SHERBONDY VANITY CASE FiledMarch 1, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mnkw Patented Sept. 10, 1935 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE VANITY CASE William E. Sherbondy, Shaker Heights,Ohio Application March 1, 1932, Serial No. 596,020

23 Claims. (Cl. 240-6.45)

This invention relates to a vanity case having a mirror, andilluminating means comprising an electric lamp and a battery, enablingthe effective use of the mirror in the dark.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide such combinationdisposed in such manner that the light may readily illuminate the faceof the user looking at the mirror without causing a disadvantageousglare interfering with an effective reflection.

Another object is to reduce the size of the entire device as much aspossible; and in accomplishing this, I arrange the lamp so that itoccupies waste space between two battery cells. The unit comprising themirror, lamp, battery and connections, may be readily embodied within asuitable folding compact adapted to contain various toilet articles, thewhole device being of small size and attractive appearance.

My invention is hereinafter more fully explained in connection with thedrawings, which illustrate three approved forms of compact made inaccordance therewith, the first form being shown in Figs. 1 to 4,inclusive, the second form in Figs. 5 to 9, inclusive, and the thirdform in the remaining figures.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan of one form of my improved vanitycase, showing the case openedready for use.

Fig. 2 is a view of the case opened, but with the intermediate leafcarrying the lamp and battery swung over to expose the rear sidethereof.

Figs. 3 and 4 are cross sections throughthis type of case, showing thecase closed and opened with the lamp energized respectively.

Fig. 5 is an open plan of the second embodiment of my vanity case.

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the intermediate leaf thereof.

Figs. '7 and 8 are cross sections showing the lamp energized andidle,'respectively.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentaryj plan, partially broken away, of the upperpartof the case showing Fig. 5 with the lamp carrier in idleposition.

Fig. 10 is a plan of the third modification of my invention open readyfor use.

Fig. 11 is a view looking at the rear side of the intermediate leaf ofsuch compact.

Fig. 12 is a cross section of the device as used.

Fig. 13 is a cross section showing the parts in an abnormal position,with the battery and lamp carrier out of the base.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary cross section through the embodiment of Figs.10 to 13, slightly modifled in the matter of the inclined mirror and itsholding means. I

Fig. 15 is a perspective of the mirror-retaining device of Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a perspective of the end portion of 5 the base casing wherethe mirror construction of Fig. 14 is used.

Fig. 17 is a perspective of the carrier for the battery and lamp, whichmay be used in the embodiment of Figs. 10 to 16.

I will first describe the construction of Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive. Inthis embodiment, I0 indicates a suitable base having a back with an edgewall II; and 20 indicates a cover having edge wall 2| adapted to abutthe edge wall of the base. These 15 parts are hinged together at 40; andmounted on the common hinge is an intermediate member 30 having an edgewall 32 adapted to nest snugly within the wall l2 of the base member.

The front of the intermediate member 30 is 20 polished to provide themirror. In the lower portion of this mirror, I make an opening 34 inwhich is mounted a lamp and lamp carrier; while on the back of theintermediate member I mount the battery for energizing the lamp. Asshown, particularly in Fig. 2, the battery comprises two cells 60 andGI, which are spaced apart and held respectively against the flanges 32of the intermediate member by suitable spring clip 62 secured to suchmember and bearing against the rounded sides of the battery cells.

The lamp 50 in this embodiment is mounted in a scoop-shaped shield 52which is pivotally carried in such manner that it may lie parallel withthe mirror, as shown in Fig. 3, or be extended at an 35 angle thereto,as in Fig. 4. The shield is shown as pivotally mounted on the inturnedends of a wire bail 54 which is carried by a suitable housing 55, ofoblong shape with rounded ends, secured to the rear face of the member30 and lying between the two battery cells 60 and SI.

When the compact is closed, the lamp and shield are in the positionshown in Figs. 1 and 3. To energize the lamp, it is only necessary forthe operator to take hold of the lower end of the shield by the tongue58 and swing it up into the oblique position shown in Fig. 4; and thiscarries the central terminal of the lamp back into contact with abattery terminal 10, thereby energizing the lamp. The angle of theshield and lamp may be varied by screwing the lamp a greater distance orless distance into the socket carried by the shield.

In the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4, the. two cells 60 and SI face inopposite directions and are connected in series by a metal strip'lflinsulatingly carried. As shown, the clip 62 has a lip 63 which is formedwith ears 64 to embrace the insulation carrying the strip III. Oneterminal of the battery, as its exposed end 65, bears against a spring66 which is connected to the housing 65, and thus leads to the threadedsleeve of the lamp 66. The other battery terminal, as 66, is connectedwith a lip 13 on a plate II insulatingly carried by the back of thehousing 55 and having a tongue 12 adapted to be engaged by the centralterminal of the'lamp when the shield and lamp are turned into operativeposition, as shown in Fig. 4.

It results from the mounting described that the swinging out of theshield from inactive position to active position not only brings thelamp into the desired relation with the mirror to throw the ticulars.First, the shield I62 carrying the lamp I06 is located beyond the upperedge of the mirror,that is, the edge distant mm the hinge of thecompact, instead of being lo'cated near the hinge in a recess cutthrough the' mirror, as

formerly. In the second place, they shield I62,

instead of being scoop-shaped and normally lying in the space within thelid asshown in Fig. 3, is now flat on its top and, when closed, liessubstantially flush with the mirror, as shown in Fig. 8. This flatshield is pivotally carried'b'y the intumed ends of a bail I64 01'.Fig.9, which is held by cars on the end of a housing I65 mounted withinthe space between the two battery-cells. The battery cells are mountedadjacent theside walls 32 of the intermediateleaf, and heldby asuitableclip 62, as formerly. V

The construction'just described has the advantage of leaving the entirespacewithin the lid for vanity articles, the housing and its lamp andshield occupyingsimplyidle space between the battery cells.

In the embodiment of Figs. 10 to 17, the lamp I56 is mounted in fixedposition behind the intermediate member 38 and extends into the idlespace between the battery cells. The lamp, being almost entirely behindthe mirror, throws its rays to the front by means of an inclined. mirrorI60, which stands at an acute angle to the plane of the'mirror face '30and behind an opening I6I in such mirror face. Embracing the lamp bulb,is a concave reflector I63 which concentrates the rays on. the inclinedmirror I66 which directs them onto the face of the person looking at themirror 36.

The mirror I66 may be made by a piece of polished metal-integral withthe case member 36, as shown in Fig. 13, or it may be a separate pieceof metal or glass, as shown at I68 in Figs. 14 and 15. The latter case,the inclined mirror plate is held in a sheet metal bracket I16 havingtwo parts at right angles to each other, the upper part carrying aflange I'll overhanging the top of the mirror and the lower part tonguesIl2 for engaging the lower edge of the mirror. In this instance, theinclined mirror extends above the plane of the main mirror 30, asillustrated in Fig. 14 and the retaining flange I'll acts also as ashield protecting the users eyes from the direct reflection of the lamp.

The battery cells 66 and Ill, in this embodiment, are held as heretoforeby suitable clips against the side walls 62 of the intermediate member.

The cross bar I0 connects the two cells in a series, and the terminal 66of one of the cells is connected by a metallic member I6'I with thecentral terminal of the lamp. The sleeve of the lamp is electricallyconnected with the casing itself, so that 5 to switch on the current itIs only necessary to connect the other battery terminal 66 (which is thebase of one of the cells) with the casing.

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 illustrate a suitable switch- I96 adapted to connectthe batterytermin'al 65 1 with the casing. This switch is a leverpivoted at I 9| to the wall 62 of the intermediate member 30. A springI93, having a V-shaped free end, bears against one side or the other ofa lug I94 on the lever. The lever has an operating tongue 15 I95 whichprojects outwardly through a slot 31 in the face of the member 66. Whenthe tongue I95 is projecting in the general direction away from thehinge 40 of the compact, the lever I96 is out of contact with thebattery terminal 65 and the 20 current is off. Ncw, if the tongue I95 isshoved toward the hinge, coming into the position shown in Fig. 12, thelever engages the end 65 of the battery and turns on the current. Thenose of the spring I93 passes over the lug I94 during the describedmovement of the lever, and thus holds it in energized position.

To prevent the possibility of the compact being closed with the lampenergized, thereby resulting in wasting the battery, I form a cam I96 onthe in- 30 ner face of the cover 26 so positioned that the inclined edgethereof, as indicated in Fig. 12, will engage the tongue I95 and forceit back sufllciently so that the nose of the spring I93 passes over tothe other side of the lug I94, thus opening the 35 circuit to the lamp.7 I

I find it very convenient, with the embodiment just described, to formthe lamp bracket and the battery clips and the means for connecting thetwo battery cells in series as a single, separate 4 unit, which may be.soldered or otherwise secured to the rear face of the leaf 3!]. Suchunit is illusitrated in Fig. 17, and comprises a base bar I80 I having,extended from its sides, tongues I8I to embrace the batteries. At oneend, the base 5 strip has a turned-up T head I82, which has tongues I83insulatingly carrying the strip III which connects the battery cells. Atthe other end of the base strip is a flange I84 which is formed with anopening I85 in which is mounted 5 a screw-threaded sleeve I86 (Fig. 14).into which the lamp may be screwed. The connection I81 heretoforedescribed, leading from the cell 6| to the central terminal of the lamp,is shown as a V-shaped piece of metal insulatingly mounted 55 on theplate I80 and having at the end of one arm a lip I88 insulated from theflange I64 and having its other arm bent over to provide a spring memberI89 adapted to maintain pressure against the central contact of thelamp.

It is preferable to provide a spring catch to retain the compactnormally closed. .Such a catch is illustrated at 206 in Fig. 16, andcomprises an L-shaped leaf spring riveted to the end wall of the basecasing I 0 and having an 5 operating knob 26I projecting outwardlythrough such end wall. The spring carries,- at its free end, an outwardinclined projection 202 which is adapted to snap into'a recess in theend wall of the cover 20. Where the mirror construction of Figs. 14 and15 is used,,a recess I15 may be made in the bracket I III to receive thespring 200 and allow its free movement.

It will be seen that, with any of the embodiments of my invention, Ihave provided a mirror and a lamp which is energized by a battery.readily switched on or oil, and that, in each case, the lamp is shieldedso that the user's eyes are protected from the direct glare, but, at thesame time, the light is thrownon the user's face-especialiy on the lowerportion thereof. The whole device, including the battery, lamp andmirror, as well as the articles usually employed in compacts, isarranged'in a neat and attractive manner and occupies comparativelylittle space. I claim:

' l. The combination of a base casing, a leaf hinged thereto and 1having an edge flange adapted to nest within the wall of the basecasing, a pair of battery cells on the rear side of the leaf, spacedapart and held against the flanges thereof by intermediately locatedclips engaging the inner portions of the'cells, and a lamp adapted tooccupy space at the ,rear of the leaf between the cells, and means forconnecting the two contacts of the lamp with the cells, respectively.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a basecasing, a leaf hinged thereto, a mirror on the forward face of the leaf,a pair of battery cells on the rear face of the leaf spaced apart,mechanism-carried by the leaf for holding the cells in place; a lamplocated in part, at least, between the cells and adapted to throw itslight on the face of a user looking at the mirror, and a shield for saidlamp to prevent the rays striking the users eyes.

3. In a vanity case, the combination of a base casing having an edgewall, a leaf hinged to the base casing and adapted to form a covertherefor, said leaf having a mirror on its forward face and having anopening through it, a pair of battery cells spaced apart and adapted tobe held at the rear of said leaf, a housing secured to the rear face ofsaid leaf and adapted to extend into the region between the batterycells, a shield pivoted to said housing, and a lamp carried by saidshield and adapted to be connected with the battery when the shield isturned at an angle to the mirror.

4. In avanity case, the combination of a twopart casing comprisinga baseand a cover hinged together, an intermediate leaf hinged to the case,

a mirror 'on the forward side of the leaf, an opening through the leaf,a pair of battery cells on the rear of the leaf spaced apart, a housingon the rear of the leaf adapted to'extend between the battery cells, ashield pivoted to the housing and adapted to fold down substantiallyflush with the mirror or be turned up at an angle thereto, and meanscarried by the shield for holding the electric lamp.

5. The combination of a casing having a leaf with a mirror on itsforward face, an opening through the leaf adjacent one end of themirror, an electric lamp at the rear of the leaf substantially paralleltherewith, with its head adjacent the opening, and a reflector oppositethe lamp and extending beyond the plane of the mirror face.

6. The combination of a base casing, a leaf hinged thereto and adaptedto'form a cover for the base casing, an opening through the leaf, anelectric lamp secured tothe rear face of the leaf substantially paralleltherewith, with its head adjacent the opening, a reflector opposite thelamp and extending out through the opening in the intermediate leaf, anda ledge across the projecting edge of the mirror forming a shield forthe user's eyes.

. thereto and having an opening. through it, said leaf having edgeflanges, apair of battery cells on the rear side of the leafspaced'apart and '5 respectively adjacent the edge flangesganintermediate member secured to the rear face of the leaf and carryingtongues to engage the battery cells to hold themin place andcarrying ahous-' ing for an electric lamp, and a reflector opposite 10 such lampand adapted to direct its rays through the opening in the leaf.

8. In a vanity case, the combination of a twopart casing having flangesat its opposite edges, a leaf with an. aperture therein hinged to the 15base casing and provided with a mirror on its forward face, two batterycells in the region between the leaf and the back of the base casing andpositioned respectively adjacent the opposite edges of the case to leavean available space be- 20 tween them, an electric lamp occupying saidspace, means for directing the rays of the light from the lamp onto theface of the user looking at the mirror, said means beingiin a planeinclined with reference to the back of the casin! 25 and means forconnecting the lamp and the two cells in series. 9. The combination of acasing havin! a leaf with a mirror on its forward face, an openingthrough the leaf adjacent one end of the mirror, 30

'combinationof a casing having a leaf with an opening through it, a clipmounted on the rear side of said leaf. arranged to hold a pair ofbatteryv 40 cells spaced apart on the rear of the leaf and to support ahousing partially between the battery cells, said housing having mountedthereon a pivoted shield and a lamp mounted on said shield.

11. In a device of the character described, the 45 combination of a basecasing having a leaf hinged thereto to provide a battery and lampcompartment, said leaf having edge flanges adapted to extend into thebase casing, a pair of battery cells spaced apart in'said compartment,there being 5 an opening through the leaf adjacent one end,

a lamp in said compartment extending between the battery cells andhaving its head adjacent the opening, a reflector in front of the lampadapted to reflect its rays through the opening, 55 and a flat mirror onthe face of the leaf.

.12. In a device of the character described, th combination of a base,portion, a second portion adapted to form a cover for the base portion,an aperture in said cover portion, a mirror mounted w on-said secondportion, two batteries between the portions, an electric lamp betweenthe batteries, and an intermediate member mounted on one of saidportions, said intermediate member carrying tongues to engage thebatteries and hold them 5 in place and carrying the lamp in apredetermined position with relation to said batteries.

13. In a device of the character described, the combination of a basecasing, a leaf adapted to form a cover therefor, a pair of battery cellsspaced apart and adapted to be housed within the base casing behind'theleaf, there being an opening'in the leaf adjacent one end, a lamp on therear side of the leaf extending between the opening, a flxed mirrorwithin the base casing extending across the head of the lamp andstanding at an oblique angle to the leaf to reflect the rays through theopening.

14. The combination of a base casing and a leaf hinged to the basecasing, said leaf having a mirror on its forward face and an openingadjacent one end of the mirror, a pair of battery cells spaced apartbehind the leaf, and an intermediate fastening device for clamping saidcells in plasma lamp extending into the space between the battery cellsand a reflector carried within the case adjacent said opening andv infront of the lamp.

15. The combination of a-base casing, a leaf hinged thereto and adaptedto form a cover for the base casing, an opening through the leaf, anelectric lamp at the rear of the leaf substantially parallel therewith,with its head adjacent the opening, a reflector opposite the lamp andoblique to the axis of the lamp, and a ledge extending across andengaging the forward edge of the re flector to hold the reflector inplace.

16. In a vanity case, the combination of a twopart casing, a leafattachable to the base casing, an opening adjacent an end of said leaf,two battery cells in the region between the leaf and the back of thebase casing and positioned respectively adjacent the opposite edges ofthe base casing to leave an available space between them, an electriclamp occupying said space and adapted to send light rays through saidopening, means for connecting the lamp with the two cells, and

an inclined mirror in the base casing for refleeting the light from thelamp toward the front of the vanity case.

17. In a device of the character described, the combination of a baseportion, a second portion adapted to form a cover for the base portion,a mirror mounted on said second portion, an opening adjacent an end ofsaid mirror, two battery cells between the portions, an electric lampbetween the cells adapted to send light rays through said opening, andan intermediate member mounted on one of saidportions, said intermediatemember having means to engage the battery cells and hold them in place,and ,means for retaining the lamp in a predetermined position withrelation to said batteries.

18. In a vanity case, the combination of a casing having space to housea battery, a cover therefor, an intermediate member between the base andcover carrying a mirror on one face, an electric lamp adjacent one edgeof the mirror, a switch for connecting the terminals of said lamp with abattery behind the intermediate member and a shield about one side ofthe lamp.

19. In a vanity case, the combination. of a base casing adapted to housea battery, it cover hinged to said casing, an intermediate leaf car- 75pivotally carried by the casing, a lamp within said shield, a suitableconductor within the casing for conducting current from a batterytherein to the lamp when the shield is extended, said shield serving tocarry the lamp away from its feeding conductors when the shield isfolded down, and a mirror positioned in front of the 'lamp when theshield is extended, in which position the head of the lamp extendsbeyond the plane of said mirror.

21. In a vanity case, the combination of a base 5 casing, a cover, anintermediate leaf carrying a mirror, a shield pivotally mounted on theinter mediate leaf and adapted to be extended or turned downsubstantially parallel with the intermediate leaf, an electric lampcarried by said shield, suitable conductors for conveying current from abattery carried behind the leaf to the lamp when the shield is extended.

22. In a vanity case. the combination of a casing compartment having amirror on its front face, an opening through said face adjacent the edgeof said mirror, a battery and an electric lamp in the compartment, saidlamp being positioned so as to be shielded by the mirror, and aninclined mirror within the compartment to direct the rays of the lampthrough the opening.

23. In .a vanity case. the combination with a casing comprising a baseand cover, of an intermediate member hinged thereto and adapted to beenclosed within the casing, said intermediate member having a mirror onits .forwa'rd face, a battery and electric lamp behind the intermediatemember, there being an opening through the intermediate member, and aninclined mirror behind the opening andcdirectly in front of the lamp,and means for concentrating the rays of the lamp on the inclined mirror,which is positioned to reflect such rays onto the face of a personlooking at the mirror.

WILLIAM E; SHERBONDY.

